Etsy acquires Mixel, a photo collage mobile app

The web marketplace is putting the Mixel team to work on mobile commerce.

The online marketplace's m-commerce site.

Etsy, an online marketplace for sellers of handcrafted goods, has acquired Mixel, a mobile app for creating and sharing photo collages, for an undisclosed sum.

Mixel’s community of users will continue to be able to create and share photo collages, but the Mixel team of mobile designers and developers is being put to work immediately on Etsy’s mobile commerce program, which includes an m-commerce site and apps for iPhone and Android smartphones and the iPad tablet.

“We’re always on the lookout for ways we can make the total experience of Etsy better. Today we’re taking another step forward by welcoming the creators of Mixel to our staff,” an Etsy official blog post reads. “These talented designers and developers built a mobile app that helps you make and share fun, beautiful photo collages. Now they are going to help us do even more with Etsy’s mobile platform. Mixel and Etsy are both about empowering creative people through the products and communities we’ve built—it’s a natural fit.”

Mixel CEO and co-founder Khoi Vinh and co-founder Scott Ostler will turn their focus to Etsy’s mobile future, Etsy says. In 2012 Etsy launched its iPad and Android apps and translated its iPhone app into three languages. Mobile traffic to Etsy grew 244% in 2012 and accounts for 25% of total web traffic, Etsy says.

“Something quite astounding happened this past holiday season: Almost one in three visits came from shoppers on their mobile devices,” the Etsy blog post reads. “We expect that trend to accelerate, so doing more with mobile is one of our top priorities in 2013.”

Etsy chief technology officer Kellan Elliot-McCrea sees a day when mobile will dominate—and that day is not too far away. “We expect our mobile traffic to surpass desktop traffic by the end of 2014,” Elliot-McCrea says. “In some markets outside the U.S., we expect it to happen even sooner. That’s why it’s so key for the Mixel team to join us at this stage.”